Unhinged Chris Matthews Fumes Over Ted Cruz's 'McCarthyism'

NewsBusters ^

[SoConPubbie]

In his never-ending obsession with Ted Cruz, Hardball’s Chris Matthews devoted the start and close of his program to rants against the supposed "McCarthyism" of the Texas Senator. Matthews objected to Cruz’s belief that the FAA’s short lived ban on air travel to Israel was political in nature.

On the July 24 edition of Matthews’ program, the host wondered if Cruz was “trying to mimic the headline grabbing of the bad old days, or is he just so ignorant of what those tactics have done to this country that he's not aware of what he’s committing: the horror of McCarthyism all over again.” The former Tip O’Neill staffer was far from finished with the junior Senator from Texas, however. Matthews continued: [MP3 audio here; video below]

In either case, it makes Cruz someone who doesn't care what he says as long as it rings the bell at the county fair, that it makes noise on the right. The place where he set staggeringly willful ambition. Have you no decency, Senator? Apparently not.

In fact, Matthews devoted the next segment of his program to Cruz as well, bringing on guests Ed Rendell and Joe Klein to discuss what they all agreed were the evil deeds of the conservative Senator. Rendell, the former Governor of Pennsylvania, chimed in that “to the American people,” Cruz “looks like a jerk, and he looks like he’s acting against the country at a time when we should all be patriotic.”

Joe Klein of Time magazine added that Cruz “spews poison into the media atmosphere,” to the point where people in the mainstream media, like Wolf Blitzer, have to raise the same questions Cruz was asking. The panel was discussing a clip where the CNN host asked former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg if the FAA ban on travel was politically motivated.

Matthews ended his show with a final screed against Cruz’s alleged McCarthyism, asking if Cruz “know[s] what he's doing to this country with his reckless attacks on the people in the government?” He concluded with this:

There's something in Cruz's manner and tactics I just don't like. He acts as if he's ready to take a shot at someone no matter how below the belt, that anything goes in his manichean struggle against those he sees as the bad guys. The trouble with that line of thinking and acting is you end up being one of them.

Matthews has a long history of obsession with Ted Cruz. He has repeatedly accused Cruz of bringing about the ‘new’ McCarthyism, criticized him as being a ‘problem for our Republic,’ and even compared him to Freddy Krueger.

The relevant portion of the transcript is below.

MSNBC
Hardball with Chris Matthews
July 24, 2014
7:00 p.m. Eastern

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Good evening. I'm Chris Matthews in San Francisco. Let me start tonight with this return of McCarthyism. I speak of the behavior of Senator Ted Cruz who now accuses President Obama of undermining the U.S. alliance with Israel, of blackmailing and wielding an historic punishment on the Jewish state. It is Cruz once again aping the reckless charges of Joe McCarthy back in the 1950s. Just as he once suggested Secretary of Defense – or future Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel was taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from Saudi Arabia or North Korea, he now accuses Barack Obama of working underhanded mischief against Israel. Didn't this country have enough of this or more than enough of this stuff 60 years ago? When the reckless communist-baiting McCarthy was brought down? Is Senator Cruz trying to mimic the headline grabbing of the bad old days or is he just so ignorant of what those tactics have done to this country that he's not aware of what he’s committing: the horror of McCarthyism all over again. In either case, it makes Cruz someone who doesn't care what he says as long as it rings the bell at the county fair, that it makes noise on the right. The place where he set staggeringly willful ambition. Have you no decency, Senator? Apparently not.

[...]

MATTHEWS: Let me finish tonight with where I began. Does Ted Cruz know what he's doing to this country with his reckless attacks on the people in the government? Has he ever read about the McCarthy period when the country was torn asunder by that Wisconsin Senator’s charges of communist subversion, and loyalty to Moscow? You have to ask what is behind these charges including his latest, the Senator's latest accusation that the Federal Aviation Administration is working some dark plot to bring our ally, Israel, to its knees. Why is he saying this stuff? Who in this country responds to the charge that Chuck Hagel is in the pay of North Korea or Saudi Arabia? Or whatever other goblin? It's the tactics being used here. This reckless readiness to charge someone whose policy you don't share with working with this country's enemies. This is what Senator Cruz did to Hagel, and what he's doing to the FAA right now. He's accusing it of being a secret punisher of Israel. There's something in Cruz's manner and tactics I just don't like. He acts as if he's ready to take a shot at someone no matter how below the belt, that anything goes in his manichean struggle against those he sees as the bad guys. The trouble with that line of thinking and acting is you end up being one of them.

[SoConPubbie]

"If we must have an enemy at the head of Government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible, who will not involve our party in the disgrace of his foolish and bad measures." - Alexander Hamilton "We don't intend to turn the Republican Party over to the traitors in the battle just ended. We will have no more of those candidates who are pledged to the same goals as our opposition and who seek our support. Turning the Party over to the so-called moderates wouldn’t make any sense at all." -- President Ronald Reagan "A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice." - Thomas Paine 1792 "It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." - Samuel Adams "If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams

[SoConPubbie]

Ted Cruz Ping!

If you want on/off this ping list, please let me know.

Please beware, this is a high-volume ping list!

[sappy]

the bummer for Hissy Chrissy is that McCarthy was right.

[FlingWingFlyer]

That’s weird. I’m always fuming over Chrissy Matthew’s “Stalinism”. I guess he knows how I feel.

[TigersEye]

Chris Matthews ought to drop the scotch and start taking lithium.

[Blackyce]

Communism was far far more horrific than McCarthyism. Chrissy will slip over that party of it I’m sure.

[ken5050]

Matthews is upset because he’s not even being mentioned as a possible replacement for David Gregory on Meet The Press

[RitaOK]

Absolutely! And that point is seldom anywhere NEAR the the conversation, but for Ann Coulter upon occasion.

Thanks for making it here.

[Starstruck]

Matthews is upset because he’s not even being mentioned as a possible replacement for David Gregory on Meet The Press

That's because they are looking for someone likeable. On second thought since the host has to lean to the left, they are looking for someone who doesn't activate the gag reflex.

[RitaOK]

I remember when Chris was normal. A democrat for sure, and one with whom you could disagree, who came out of a more civilized time, the Reagan era, but never and no where near the out of control Marxist loon he is today.

On the MTP question, there was a time maybe, where Chris could have legitimately said to himself the following:

“I cudda been a contender” — Marlon Brando

Now he is a clone of Ed whts his name.

[Baynative]

It is rumored that Chris Matthews is such a drunken slob that his wife makes him sit down to pee and she often follows him into the bathroom to check to see if the potty seat is warm.

[stanne]

If ted Cruz were NOT making Chris Matthews fume, I’d be worried.

[JPG]

[Signalman]

You can always tell who the libs fear the most.

[5th MEB]

Perhaps we should inform Mr. TINGLE UP HIS LEG that Senator McCarthy was right; a perfect example of what Senator McCarthy warned us about all those years ago is the OBASTARD administration.

[ken5050]

Matthews once actually was a guest host on Rush’s show..

[Jane Long]

1.) McCarthyism was all about keeping Commies out of power/office/influence, right?

2.)Ted’s not name calling...just truth telling.

3.) I guess Chrissy forgets all of the actual smears/lies Dims have made towards Pubbie Presidents. At least Ted speaks the truth....Chrissy can’t handle the truth.

[tet68]

Have you no decency, Senator? Apparently not.

Have you no writers, Chrissy? Apparently not.
Perhaps a history lesson and a reading of the
Vernona intercepts would teach him something....or not.

[tet68]

Good evening. I’m Chris Matthews in San Francisco. Let me start tonight with my return of McCarthyism.

[mware]

I watch Hardball for a few minutes yesterday. He actually admitted that he was unaware of the plight of the Christians in Arabia.